I Love Lucy Actress Shirley Mitchell Dies at 94
Shirley Mitchell, the last surviving adult castmember of I Love Lucy, died earlier this week of heart failure at her home in Westwood, Calif. She was 94.
Mitchell appeared in three episodes of the iconic CBS sitcom as Marion Strong, Lucy’s outspoken friend with a trademark cackling laugh. Her character, originally played by Margie Liszt in the second season, set Lucy and Ricky up on their first date, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Starting in the 1950s, Mitchell built a successful TV career, appearing in hit shows including The Beverly Hillbillies, Perry Mason, Green Acres, The Dick Van Dyke Show, and Dallas. She started out as a radio star in the 1940s and befriended Lucille Ball while she starred in the radio program My Favorite Husband.
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Mitchell’s second husband, Jay Livingston, was a songwriter who partnered with lyricist Ray Evans to compose songs for several hit films, including “Buttons and Bows” from 1948’s The Paleface and “Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera),” featured in 1956’s The Man Who Knew Too Much. Mitchell and Livingston married in 1992 and remained together until his death in 2001.
Mitchell is survived by two children, Scott and Brooke.
